Game Thread: #23/24 TENNESSEE AT PORTLAND STATE

#1

Coach Jumper

I can be there tomorrow
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PORTLAND, Ore. -- No. 23/24 Tennessee (8-2) will close its two-game West Coast swing on Saturday, as the Lady Vols battle Portland State (6-3) at Viking Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET).

This will mark the first time these programs have met on the hardwood. It will not, however, be UT's first game in Portland, as the Lady Vols picked up a 74-51 victory over the University of Portland on Nov. 30, 1997.

The contest at Portland State marks only the fourth road game of the season for the Big Orange, and their current back-to-back road contests are the first for Tennessee since the Lady Vols played at Missouri (W, Feb. 17, 2019) and Texas A&M (L, Feb. 21, 2019) last season.

Before embarking on this excursion, Tennessee closed out a six-game home stand last Wednesday night with a 79-41 victory over Colorado State at Thompson-Boling Arena. That triumph was a bounce-back win after the Lady Vols suffered their first setback of the season on Dec. 8, falling to Texas, 66-60. The match-up with PSU will offer the Lady Vols another chance to redeem themselves after a loss.

Tennessee is coming off a 78-51 loss at No. 1/1 Stanford on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion. Portland State, meanwhile, defeated cross-town rival Portland on Dec. 15, 77-71. The Vikings enter on a five-game winning streak and are 3-0 at home this season.

TENNESSEE TOPICS
  • Tennessee has outworked eight of 10 foes on the glass this season and has a +14.8 rebound margin that ranks No. 4 nationally through the game vs. Stanford.
  • UT is pulling down 51.2 rebounds per contest while allowing 36.4. The Lady Vols' per game total ranks No. 2 in the nation.
  • The Lady Vols average 15.7 second chance points per game and have won that category in every contest but one (Central Arkansas).
  • The Lady Vols' bench has been a strength this season, with the Big Orange holding a 27.5 to 16.0 advantage in points from reserves.
  • UT has been at its best offensively in the third and first quarters this season, averaging 19.5 and 19.0, respectively, during those periods. On the defensive end, the Lady Vols are their stingiest in the second frame, allowing only 11.9 points over that 10-minute stretch.
  • Tennessee has shot for a higher percentage from the field in every game except for the Texas and Stanford match-ups, in which the Longhorns knocked down 36.2 to UT's 30.6 percent and the Cardinal prevailed, 42.6 to 27.8. UT shoots 43.0 from the field for the season.
  • The Lady Vols are allowing opponents only 30.0 percent shooting from the field and have allowed only No. 1/1 Stanford (42.6) to shoot better than 36% this season.
  • The Lady Vols have limited foes to only 23.0 percent shooting from the three-point arc after Stanford had an 11-for-30 night vs. UT.
  • Tennessee had recorded 16 or more assists in each game this season until dishing out seven vs. Stanford. Its season-best mark for dimes is 25 vs. UAPB.
  • The Big Orange women have won the opening tip in all 10 games.
LADY VOLS TRENDING
  • Rising to the competition, Rennia Davis is averaging 23.5 points and 8.0 rebounds vs. ranked foes. She has shot 42.5 percent from the field and 47.4 percent on threes. Versus unranked competition, she is averaging 14.6 ppg. and 8.5 rpg. while shooting 45.5 percent from the field but only 19.2 from long range.Davis is hitting 80 percent at the free throw line vs. ranked teams and 78.6 vs. unranked squads.
  • Beyond Davis leading UT in scoring and rebounding, UT's next six leading scorers include a sophomore, a freshman, a junior, a freshman, a sophomore and a freshman.
  • Davis has scored in double figures in eight straight contests and has five double-doubles in 2019-20.
  • Davis is averaging double figures in points for the third straight year. If she averages 10+ in 2019-20, she'd become the 24th Lady Vol to do so in three different seasons. It's worth noting, only 12 players have averaged 10+ four times while at UT.
  • Sophomore guard Jazmine Massengill is one of the nation's best at taking care of the basketball, as confirmed by her assist-to-turnover ratio. She ranks No. 31 in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC at 2.5 to 1. She has tallied 40 assists vs. 16 turnovers.
  • Massengill also has been looking for her shot, scoring in double figures in four of Tennessee's last six games, tallying a career-high 16 points against Colorado State. She is averaging 10.0 ppg. in the past three games.
  • UT's freshmen are not shy about contributing. Jordan Horston leads the team in assists (45) and steals (16) and is second in three-pointers (12). Tamari Key is tops in blocks (19) and field goal percentage (.593) among starters, and Emily Saunders has the best field goal percentage (.714) among reserves.
  • Centers Tamari Key (.593), Kasiyahna Kushkituah (.517) and Emily Saunders (.714) are all hitting high percentages on their field goals.
  • Five Lady Vols average better than 5.0 rpg.
  • Two of Tennessee's top five rebounders are guards. Jordan Horston is second at 6.1 rpg., while Jazmine Massengill is fifth at 5.3 rpg.
  • Jordan Horston has led UT in assists in seven of 10 games, averaging a 4.5 mark that would rate second all-time among Lady Vol freshmen.
  • Only three active Lady Vols play more than 20 minutes per game: Rennia Davis (27.6), Jazmine Massengill (26.6) and Jordan Horston (23.6).
  • Tamari Key's 19 blocked shots are three more than last year's team leader Cheridene Green (16).
TENNESSEE-PORTLAND STATE SERIES NOTES
  • This marks the first-ever meeting between Tennessee and Portland State.
  • While the Lady Vols have not met the Vikings, they have met PSU's cross-town rival, Portland. UT holds a 2-0 record against the Pilots.
  • Tennessee won at Portland, 74-51, on Nov. 30, 1997, and defeated that program in Knoxville, 94-57, on Nov. 13, 1998. Current Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper played at Tennessee during those seasons.
  • The Big Orange women are 2-0 vs. current members of the Big Sky Conference. Both of those wins came against Montana.
  • Former Lady Vols Jaime Nared (Westview) and Jordan Reynolds (Central Catholic) attended high school in Portland. Laurie Milligan was a native of Tigard, just southwest of Portland.
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE
  • The Vikings are members of the Big Sky Conference and earned a berth in the 2018-19 NCAA Tournament.
  • Lynn Kennedy is in his fifth year as head coach at Portland State, fashioning a 70-67 record there, and is 321-246 in his 20th season in coaching.
  • Kennedy coached at Southern Oregon for 10 seasons before taking over the PSU job. He also had head coaching stints at New Mexico Highlands, Idaho State (interim) and Northwest University.
  • Portland State returned two starters from last season's squad, which posted a 25-8 overall mark and 14-6 league record to finish fourth.
  • Top returnees include 6-4 senior center Jordan Stotler and 5-6 junior guard Kylie Jimenez.
  • PSU welcomed six newcomers and regained the services of five other players who sat out a year ago for a variety of reasons.
  • Portland State owns a 6-3 overall record, forging a 3-0 mark at Viking Pavilion this season.
  • After standing 1-3 through their first four contests, the Vikings have won five in a row.
  • PSU is an outstanding free throw shooting team, hitting 81.6 percent. The top seven scorers shoot better than 79 percent from the charity stripe.
  • Redshirt junior forward Tatiana Struen is leading PSU in scoring and rebounding with averages of 15.1 and 9.1, respectively.
  • Four other Vikings are scoring in double figures, including 6-0 sophomore guard Desirae Hansen (13.0 ppg.), 5-6 junior guard Kylie Jimenez (12.1 ppg.), 6-0 freshman guard Belle Frazier (10.8 ppg.) and 6-4 senior center Jordan Stotler (10.6 ppg.).
RECAPPING THE VIKINGS' LAST GAME
  • With five players scoring in double figures, the Portland State women's basketball team erased a 15-point halftime deficit to defeat cross-town rival Portland, 77-71, at the Chiles Center on Sunday afternoon.
  • The win marked the fifth straight for the Vikings, who overcame their largest halftime deficit since Jan. 8, 2010, to improve to 6-3 overall on the year. The win was also the third straight over the Pilots, which is only the second time in the program's Big Sky era (1996-present) the Vikings have tallied three in a row.
  • Leading the Vikings was Tatiana Streun, who continued her dominating performance in the post, scoring a team-high 17 points while collecting 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year.
  • PSU hit 16 of 21 from the free throw line (76.2%).
VolNation:

Sorry about the late posting

I hope this Pluto thing works. I clicked on the link and it brought me to a screen...as for finding the right channel and such, the first person to be successful let us know how.

5PM Eastern
Pluto TV channel. channel 532


They have a link at PS website also: Gameday

Massey has Portland State as #138 with a power rating of 1.38
compared to us at #53 and 1.88


Portland State: Off 109 Def 202 SoS 180
UT: Off 57 Def 54 Sos 128


PS no significant wins. No top 25 opponents

So sub away Coach K
Enjoy the trip


TN 90 PS 50
 
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#3
#3
Were a 9 point favorite hopefully we get the win.

I think our team is primed to play their best game of the season as of yet.
Stanford was a gut check
We'll find out now if we have the guts to show power

I'm thinking we will

Have them ready Coach K,
TX was a close loss, Stanford tried to rip our heart out...Are we going to take that?
 
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#6
#6
If possible, would like to see Emily play some. She has good stats for limited play. Everyone must FINISH their shot at the basket.

agree...there is a missing presence on this team IMO
A power player
KK is close, but not intimidating
We need a rick mahorn/Charles Oakley/Bill Laimbeer/Dennis Rodman
Someone who not only dares the opposition to penetrate,
but, looks forward to it

Out of all of the posts, the one that initially looks like this type of player is Saunders
But she has to do more than look like it

two things I want to see in this game:
a run stoppage from the bench (5+ points)...and...a "Jordan Rules" presence for the paint

Other things I want to see...
No letting the foot off of the gas when leading
The second unit to come in and not miss a beat
Boxing out on the shot
assists on a third of our makes
2 to 1 asst v TO's
High intensity off-the-ball deny-defense, , no easy receptions
and
My own pet peeve...immediate closeouts on all picked up dribbles
 
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#7
#7
As far as Stanford game...is the talent disparity that wide between us and them? We always talk about Holly farting away a "team of all Americans". Just curious.
 
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#8
#8
As far as Stanford game...is the talent disparity that wide between us and them? We always talk about Holly farting away a "team of all Americans". Just curious.

I don't count stars, I count "ballers"
we have more ballers, but Stanford had more "flow" in offense
 
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#12
#12
The huge difference seemed to be they could shoot and we couldn't so guess that their AA's are better than the ones we have.


shooting isn't innate. You are not born with the ability to shoot or not shoot.
it is a skill first and a mentality second
Skills are learned,
focus, risk, "shooters mentality...all mental
..environment at the time is the only x factor

I look at things from the mechanical side since I am a coach...
  1. Do they chirp at full gather?
  2. are their toes pointed down during the jumping stage?
  3. is their release right for the type of shot taken?
meaning:

  1. When a shooter is steps into their shot-ready position (called a "gather") they they step hard so they can have momentum on the liftoff (thus the chirp) what does their shot ready position look like (e.g. ..at this point the ball should be at the "shot ready" position (preferably at the temple)
  2. If the toes leave the floor and stay pointed down they will land in the same spot,,if the toes are tilted forward they will land a few inches forward...this affects the flight of the ball
  3. The release,, for a set shot (foul shot or unguarded open look) and rhythm shot (dribble pick up or pass-to-shot reception) is similar. Gooseneck. ... but the release for a floater, fade, stepback, (any moving shot) is unique to that shot. I look to see if they are trying to shoot a set shot-release on a floater for instance
I explain this because if I am to post as a coach, It might be good to first-hand relay why I call myself such.
 
#13
#13
I would like to see her projected starting 5 go a full 2 quarters with only a breather for KK/Key and maybe Rae.
See if the core 5 can create get a comfortable lead.

I doubt that Davis and Horston will both be able to play a complete first half without one or the other being benched for foul trouble. Davis needs to move her feet instead of reaching in, and Horston needs more time for her judgement to mature.
 
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#14
#14
I doubt that Davis and Horston will both be able to play a complete first half without one or the other being benched for foul trouble. Davis needs to move her feet instead of reaching in, and Horston needs more time for her judgement to mature.

Good point I would like to see as another poster posted, the starting combination to play some extended minutes so they can begin to establish some Rhythm and some chemistry as a unit. If the lead expands quickly then by all means go to the full rotation subbing and benefit from everybody getting playing time

But if the game is a chess match, say within 6 points or less then let's play chess. Let's see if we can move and countermove and beat somebody who gives us their best game with our best game.
 
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#15
#15
Out of all of the posts, the one that initially looks like this type of player is Saunders
But she has to do more than look like it

I'm not sure what you mean by looks like, but in my opinion, putting any expectations on a freshman post, especially one not even in the
top 100 in her class is not fair.
 
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#16
#16
I'm not sure what you mean by looks like, but in my opinion, putting any expectations on a freshman post, especially one not even in the
top 100 in her class is not fair.


I look at more than just size and skill and numerical rankings..., I look at heart, focus(the eyes) and the mental and physical body-language.

Face is part of the body..
When Emily hits the floor, the look on her face is not one of aloofness, it is one of laser focus.
It is also one of "I'm gonna show you"
This attribute is much more important to me than where she is in someone else's ranking of her in the "milky way"

give me an athlete with her physical attributes and her focus ,,,it becomes a question of how to use this power and focus.
I find the potential in people before I look for their weaknesses when evaluating them
 
#18
#18
I have not posted in a long while.. partly because i was not into Holly World nor am I into her replacement. So many better coaches out there. But instead of us getting our Nick Saban we got Don Shula's son Mike. Anyway an I have said this for years.. WE are so fundamentally UNSOUND.
 
#19
#19
As far as Stanford game...is the talent disparity that wide between us and them? We always talk about Holly farting away a "team of all Americans". Just curious.

Stanford’s true talent is on the bench. Tara’s players execute her desired plan almost every time. It was no accident Rennia was in foul trouble. She ran set plays for whomever Rennia was guarding all night and forced her to play a ton of defense.
 
#21
#21
I look at more than just size and skill and numerical rankings..., I look at heart, focus(the eyes) and the mental and physical body-language.

Face is part of the body..
When Emily hits the floor, the look on her face is not one of aloofness, it is one of laser focus.
It is also one of "I'm gonna show you"
This attribute is much more important to me than where she is in someone else's ranking of her in the "milky way"

give me an athlete with her physical attributes and her focus ,,,it becomes a question of how to use this power and focus.
I find the potential in people before I look for their weaknesses when evaluating them

She has only played 56 minutes all season. I'm not sure how you can see this in that limited time on the court. I'm sure it's even less time that you have actually seen her play.
 
#25
#25
I think Saunders should at least be playing a few minutes a game. In her limited appearance she has really done well catching the ball and making the shot. She could definitely take minutes that are going to Harris or Rennie neither have done very much considering the minutes they are playing.
 

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